Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
stems mainly from a small but vocal neo-Nazi
movement, VAM (their full name translates as
“White Aryan Resistance”), who occasionally daub
slogans like “
Behålla Sverige Svenskt
” (Keep Sweden
Swedish) on walls in towns and cities and on the
Stockholm metro. Although there have been
several racist murders and many attacks on dark-
skinned foreigners over the past couple of years, it's
still the exception rather than the rule. Keep your
eyes and ears open and avoid trouble, especially on
Friday and Saturday nights when drink can fuel
these prejudices.
In 1995, Sweden introduced its registered-
partnership law, despite unanimous opposition in
parliament from the right-wing Moderates and
Christian Democrats. Ten years on, in July 2005, the
Swedish parliament granted lesbians the right to
artificial insemination.
Paradoxically, the acceptance of gays and lesbians
in society as a whole can at best be described as
sporadic, and in fact homosexuality was regarded
as a psychological disease in Sweden until 1979.
Outside the cities, and particularly in the north of
the country where the lumberjack mentality rules
supreme, there can still be widespread embarrass-
ment and unease whenever the subject is
mentioned in public.
There are very few gay bars and clubs in Sweden
though gay community life in general is supported
by the state-sponsored Riksförbundet för Sexuellt
Likaberättigande, or RFSL (National Association for
Sexual Equality; Sveavägen 59, Stockholm;
T
08 501
62 900,
W
rfsl.se), founded in 1950 as one of the first
gay rights organizations in the world. The website
W
qx.se has useful information about gay and
lesbian happenings in Sweden, and listings of bars
and discos where they do exist.
Electricity
The supply is 220V, although appliances requiring
240V will work perfectly well. Plugs have two round
pins. Remember that if you're staying in a cottage
out in the wilds, electricity may not be available.
Entry requirements
European Union, American, Canadian, Australian
and New Zealand citizens need only a valid
passport
to enter Sweden, and can stay for up to
three months. Once the three months are up, EU
nationals can apply for a
resident's permit
(
uppehållstillstånd
) to cover longer visits. For further
information on where to obtain the permits, contact
the Swedish embassy in your home country.
Health
EU nationals can take advantage of Sweden's
health
services
under the same terms as residents of the
country. For this you'll need a European Health
Insurance Card, available in the UK through post
o
ces and Department for Work and Pensions
o
ces. Citizens of non-EU countries will be charged
for all medical services, although US visitors will find
that medical treatment is far less expensive than they
are accustomed to at home. Even so it is advisable to
take out travel insurance (see opposite). Note that
you need a doctor's prescription even to get minor
painkillers in Sweden, so bring your own supplies.
There's no
local doctor
system in Sweden.
Instead, go to the nearest hospital with your
passport (and Health Insurance Card, if applicable)
and they'll treat you; the casualty department is
called
Akutmottagning
or
Vårdcentral
. The fee for
staying in hospital overnight depends on the care
you need.
For
dental treatment
, foreign citizens generally
have to pay in full for treatment. You can spot a
dental surgery by looking out for the sign
“Tandläkare” or “Folktandvården”. An emergency
dental service is available in most major towns and
cities out of hours - look in the windows of the
local pharmacy for contact telephone numbers.
SWEDISH EMBASSIES ABROAD
Australia
5 Turrana St, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 Canberra
T
02 6270
2700,
W
swedenabroad.com.
Canada
377 Dalhousie St, Ottawa, ON K1N 9N8
T
613 244 8220,
W
swedenabroad.com.
Republic of Ireland
13-17 Dawson St, Dublin 2
T
01 671 5822,
W
swedenabroad.com.
South Africa
I Parioli Complex, 1166 Park St, Pretoria
T
012 426 64 00,
W
swedenabroad.com.
UK
11 Montagu Place, London W1H 2AL
T
020 7917 6400,
W
swedenabroad.com.
US
2900 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007
T
202 467 2600,
W
swedenabroad.com.
Gay and lesbian travellers
Swedish attitudes to
gay men
and
lesbians
are
remarkably liberal - on a legal level at least - when
compared to most other Western countries, with
both the government and the law proudly geared
towards the promotion of gay rights and equality
(the o
cial age of sexual consent is 15 whether you
are gay or straight).
